Growing Up
by Sandblasted-Kitten
Summary: Jackson Overland was growing up, and his younger sister Mary was worried that adulthood would take her brother from her and leave her alone forever. Warning: Sadness.


I'm a bad person. ENJOY!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of childhood, this would be cannon and not a fanfic. Therefore, SORROW!

**Growing Up**

Jack was getting older.

This thought extremely saddened Mary Overland.

It wasn't because Jack loved her any less as the years went by, but instead it was the thought of losing their play time and togetherness to the adult world that was slowly trying to claim her precious big brother.

These thoughts never really occurred to Mary before, let alone concerned her. But since Jack's 15th birthday, life had started to change.

Jack and Mary's father, Peter Overland, had started to take Jack out into the field to assist tending to the sheep that their family, as shepherds, cared for.

Jack had learned how to herd, shear, brand, deliver, and sell sheep. He had even had a hand in delivering some of the baby lambs that spring. Witnessing birth was a _very_ big step towards adulthood, even if it was a baby from another species being born.

But it wasn't just the fact that Jack was learning their family's trade. It was that he seemed to enjoy doing it.

Whereas before he would flee from anything just to play with Mary, now he had become accustomed to placing his hand on her shoulder in a way that was meant to be comforting and saying "Not today Mary. I have work to do."

This broke Mary's heart. Would Jack, her whirlwind of a brother, be tamed by responsibility? Would that change him?

These thoughts were usually put to rest when Jack would wake her up early and take her into town or to play hopscotch.

Jack always seemed to make time for her in between his shepherding duties and school work. And so Mary decided that work would not snatch Jack up into the adult world and away from her just yet.

But there was another problem, that didn't arise until Jack was 17. A problem with ginger hair that hung in ringlets all tied back with a pretty blue ribbon.

Charlotte Ashford and her family had come to Burgess not two months ago, and Jack had noticed before everyone else did.

Everywhere Charlotte Ashford went, Jack's eyes seemed to follow.

At first Mary didn't understand the interest with the freckled girl. She was just some girl after all. But the worry came when Mary noticed that when Jack wasn't watching Charlotte, Charlotte was watching Jack.

There was something between the two; that Mary could see.

Mary often caught the two talking when they thought they were alone behind the school house. And it disgusted Mary.

Jack, her confident and brilliant older brother, became a stumbling mess who couldn't seem to shake a shy grin that managed to overtake his signature smirk.

While Charlotte, who was smart and outspoken became giggly and red faced, often saying "Oh Jack; you're so funny." before lightly touching his arm.

Mary tried to ignore this awkward interaction between the two.

But one winter's day, while spying on them behind the school house again, Mary witnessed something that made her blood run cold.

Charlotte was telling Jack how funny he was and pressing that light touch to Jack's arm, when it started to snow.

Several delicate flakes of snow landed in Charlotte's hair and, smiling, Jack reached up a hand to brush the snowflakes out of Charlotte's bangs, like he always did for Mary.

When Jack realized what he was doing, he blushed, and went to pull his hand back, only for Charlotte to catch it and lightly run her dainty fingers over his calloused hand.

The pair stared into each other's eyes for a moment before both sets of eyes slowly slid shut and the two began to lean towards each other.

Mary went pale "No. No. No. No. No. No." she whispered over and over trying to will the inevitable not to happen, when suddenly their lips touched.

Mary couldn't watch anymore. There was no god.

Not only was Mary slowly losing her brother to the life of a shepherd, but now she was losing him to Charlotte Ashford.

Responsibility and Love; how much more adult can you get?

No matter how much Mary tried to ignore it, Jack was growing up. He was 17. How much longer would it be before he and Charlotte walked down the aisle? Before Jack started his own family? Before he couldn't spare even a minute for her in between caring for his sheep and his new family?

Would her wonderful older brother become a stern faced, well meaning parent?

Mary was heartbroken as she trudged home. The thought of losing Jack to adulthood would surely be the end of her.

As she made her way up to the room she shared with Jack, Mary hesitated, before climbing into her brother's bed. She breathed in his scent and wished he was there.

She wished Jack found no joy in shepherding.

She wished the boat Charlotte Ashford had come over on, had sunk.

She wished Jack wasn't 17 while she was trapped at the age of 9.

It wasn't fair.

Mary didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she felt Jack lightly shaking her awake.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she noticed how dark it was now. It was early afternoon when she came home.

"Are you alright Mary?" Jack asked her "Mother says you've been sleeping for hours." He placed a hand to her forehead "Are you sick?"

Mary frowned. The hand on her forehead was the one that had been poisoned by the touch of that ginger haired floozy. She shook his hand off "I'm fine." She spat.

Jack frowned "Mary" he called warningly before he lightly flicked her in the nose.

"Ow…" she muttered half-heartedly before glaring at her brother and pulling his blanket back over her head.

Jack sighed and sat down next to the lump that was his sister in a bad mood "What's wrong Mary?" he asked.

"Mmmhmmm mmm. Mhhmm hmm mmmh MMMMmmmm." Mary groaned from under the covers.

"Now you know I don't speak muffled tantrum." He laughed. When his joke, didn't even get a rise out of Mary, Jack sighed again "I saw you today, you know."

Mary peeked out at Jack. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose, just like their father did when he was tired. This angered her more "SO!?" she spat.

"So" Jack began "What is the big problem with me kissing Lotte?" he asked.

"SO IT'S LOTTE NOW!?" Mary shouted "WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT LIKEING YOUR WIFE!" with that Mary brought the blankets back up over her head and pouted.

"Mary." Jack said warningly "Lot- Charlotte is not my wife. You know that."

"Well you want her to be." Mary snarled "You wanna have a big family with her! With lots of sheep, and stupid ginger babies, and kissing and…and…and NOT me!" She huffed now close to tears.

Jack frowned at the lump on his bed "Is that what this is about?" he asked, not really believing "You think that with all this going on I'll leave you?"

Mary froze. Jack knew her too well.

Before she knew it Jack had climbed under the blanket with her and pulled her into a hug "Have I told you that you're stupid?" Jack asked jokingly.

"You're stupid…" Mary muttered, leaning into the hug.

"Mary, you need to realize that, yes, I am growing up." He brushed her hair out of her face "But I will ALWAYS have time for you." He smiled.

Mary started crying "But what if you don't?" she choked out through the tears "Why do you have to grow up and leave me behind?" she reached her arms out and pulled Jack as close to her as she could.

Jack smiled wider "Mary" he began "Have I ever broken a promise?" he asked.

Mary pulled back to look him in the eye.

"Well?" he encouraged her to answer.

"No…" Mary muttered.

"Then" Jack began holding out his pinky finger to her "I, Jackson Nathaniel Overland, do so promise, Mary Katherine Overland, to always make time for her, even when I'm a grumpy old man like father."

Mary laughed and smiled a bit at Jack.

"And in return" he continued "You need to accept the fact that I am growing up, but that fact will never make me stop loving you. Deal?"

Mary's heart swelled "Deal." She said wrapping her pinky around the one Jack had extended to her.

When the siblings finally untangled their pinkies, Jack pulled Mary back into a hug "You know you're my best girl right?"

Mary nodded into Jack's chest.

"Good" he smiled as he released Mary and threw back the covers "Now what say, you and I go to the kitchen and see if mom has finished making dinner yet?"

Mary laughed and Jack took that as a cue to jump out of bed.

When he reached the door, he turned back to see that Mary was still sitting on the bed looking sad "Now what?" he sighed dramatically.

Mary avoided looking into Jack's face "I know I need to accept that you're growing up." She began "But I still wish you didn't have to. I really wish you could never grow up Jack."

Jack laughed "Don't be silly Mary." He walked back over to his sister and gently brushed her hair back "We all have to grow up sometime."

Mary nodded. She knew that; of course she knew that. But it didn't mean she had to like it.

"Anyway" Jack started again "I was thinking that maybe tomorrow, I don't have to help father with the sheep." Mary looked up at Jack "And the lovely Miss. Ashford can go a day without me around." Mary broke out into a smile. "So, what do you say to a day of fun, with just you and me?"

Mary tackled Jack to the floor "YES!" she cried joyfully. There was a god!

"Alright!" Jack laughed somehow managing to get Mary off of him and find his way back onto his feet "So, what do _you_ want to do on _our_ day?"

Mary thought for a moment before grinning even wider than before "Can we go skating!?" she asked excitedly "Please Jack? Please? Please? Please?"

Jack laughed again "I'd like nothing better."

"YAY!" Mary cheered, doing little jumps to further illustrate her excitement.

"But for now let's go eat." Jack stuck out his hand, which Mary took happily, and the two made their way down the stairs.

In the days to follow Mary would learn that one needed to be careful what they wished for, as Jack would not survive their outing the next day.

Jack would never have the chance to tend his own flock of sheep.

Jack and Charlotte would never marry.

And Jack would never start a family of his own.

But most importantly, Jackson Nathaniel Overland, would never grow up. And Mary wished that she had lost her brother to adulthood, before she lost him to the frozen pond outside of town.

**The End**


End file.
